How to water your T

a3overlord

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
36
Ok, I am new to keeping T's and have been reading as much as I can from many different sources. I am an experienced breeder of Ball Pythons and a few other snakes, so I know there is a huge amount of bad info out there from seemingly respectable sources. My question is, what is the best way to give your T water? I have 4 1/2" Brazilian Salmons and have them in small critter keepers with Gatorade lids w/sponge for water, but have heard from a few places that sponges are bad. So what's the verdict? How do I keep these guys hydrated with out allowing them to drown?
 

AshLee

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 29, 2010
Messages
40
Simply said, yes, sponges are bad. They are a breeding grounds for bacteria, and are simply needless. If the lid covers less surface than their leg span, then you don't need anything in it, a simple shallow water dish of some sort suffices. For smaller tarantulas, but big enough for a steady water source, small (clean and safe to use) rocks or pebbles are put in the dishes to prevent drowning but allow hydration.
 

Shell

ArachnoVixen AKA Dream Crusher AKA Heartbreaker
Staff member
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
1,659
Sponges are bad, remove them. For a spider over about 2", a small water dish. For a spider under 2" keep a portion of the substrate damp.
 

ZergFront

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
May 2, 2009
Messages
1,956
Sponges are breeding grounds for bacteria/algae/moss and are not very efficient for watering a T. They have a mouth for drinking, not using the fangs. I use a variety of bottle and jug caps (soda, Gatorade, milk, etc) and mayonaise jar lids for the big ones. For the slings I've found the plastic caps from my many vials work great as a tiny water dish. Where cricket drowning is common, I put glass globs in the dish.
 

a3overlord

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
36
Nice, I'll take the sponges out and add a few pebbles. Appreciate the info as always :)
 

captmarga

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
339
The small tea light round glass holders from Michaels (craft stores) are 99 cents here, whereas the small ceramic dishes for hamster food are $3.99 at the pet store. I use those for bigger Ts, along with bottle cap lids. As I finish a bottle of soda, I toss the caps in a bowl, which get washed and stored in my "supply drawer" later.

If the Ts bury a bottle cap, I'm not terribly worried about it!

Marga
 
Top